Last-Minute Survival Secrets

October 1, 2014

Doomsday Preppers. Bear Grylls. The Walking Dead. People are concerned with pandemics, terrorist attacks, and food and water shortages, and we are drawn to films and books such as this one about living independently and off the grid. Similar to Sam Sheridan's The Disaster Diaries and James Wesley Rawles's How To Survive the End of the World as We Know It, best-selling author Green's (Hellbent on Insanity, The Unofficial Gilligan's Island Handbook, and many more) title at first glance is just a funny take on survival techniques that readers might never imagine needing--creating secret weapons, such as fireballs made with flour, for example. But a closer look reveals many extremely useful, if improbable, techniques involving simple household items. The author and TV commentator has tried out all the survival secrets in this book. His claim, "You can easily overcome any dire situation by putting simple household items to use in unexpected ways," is fulfilled in sections on topics like how to make a radio antenna with a Slinky, revive a car battery with aspirin, and start a fire with potato chips. Each entry includes step-by-step instructions on what you need, what to do, and how it works, with supplies including two condoms and two shoelaces to make a life vest. VERDICT The audience for this book will be survivalists, "doomsday preppers," and teachers looking to conduct experiments.--Laverne Mann, Cherry Hill P.L.

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